MaKey MaKey Quickstart Guide

This Tutorial is Retired!

This tutorial covers concepts or technologies that are no longer current. It's still here for you to read and enjoy, but may not be as useful as our newest tutorials.

View the updated tutorial: Makey Makey Classic Hookup Guide

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Contributors: jimblom
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Introduction

Welcome to the world of MaKey MaKey! A world where every day objects are much more than what they appear. Bananas are more than just a curvy fruit - they're keys to a virtual piano. Play-dough isn't just a tasty child's toy - it's the controlling force behind Pacman's up/down/left/right. And your simple pencil drawings are a portal to Portal.

Be prepared to look at every day objects in a whole new light. Be stoked! The world is your construction kit.

Covered in This Tutorial

This tutorial's purpose is to help get you up and running with the MaKey MaKey -- everything from what the board is, to installing it, to using it. Sections are split into pages, covering the following topics:

Materials Required

Suggested Reading

  • What is a Circuit? -- To create a MaKey MaKey "key", a circuit must be created so current can flow.
  • Voltage, Current, Resistance and Ohm's Law -- Learn about the three fundamental concepts behind electricity, and how they're related by Ohm's law. The MaKey MaKey works by bending our idea of resistive material.
  • Voltage Dividers -- Voltage dividers are the secret behind every MaKey MaKey input. This tutorial digs a bit deeper into circuit theory.